www.PaleoPhilatelie.eu website on Digital Philatelic Literature Competitions
Since 2018, I have been summitting the "Paleophilatelie" website to international competitions in the Electronic-Literature category.
I aim to popularize the topic, especially young philatelists and improve quality of my website.
Current Awards collection of Paleophilatelie website is: |
|
-
LARGE GOLD medal:
- the 18th New Zealand National Philatelic Literature Exhibition 2023 in Christchurch, New Zealand
-
Gold medals (x3):
- PWO-EXPO 2022 (on-line show)
- FILANANIAS 2021 in Brazil
- BELPHILA'2019 in Brest, Belarus
-
Large Vermeil medals (x7):
- GASS 2023 in Cleveland, USA
- IBRA 2023 in Essen, Germany
- Cape Town 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa
- NAPOSTA 2020 in Haldensleben, Germany
- Chicagopex 2019 in Itasca, USA
- "National Topical Stamp Show" 2019 in Omaha, USA
- ITALIA'2018 in Verona, Italy
-
Vermeil medals (x2):
- London 2022 in London, UK
- Capex 2022 in Toronto, Canada
The only way for visitors to know that this category of exhibition exists at the conferences is to read the lists of competing websites in the program.
The cost of a digital media presentation participating is approximately the same as the fee for a one-frame physical exhibit.
One-frame exhibits are clearly displayed on site – but digital media are invisible because there is no way for attendees to see the websites (no computer screens, notebooks, or other electronic displays showing the competing websites).
In case there is no room for computers or lack of public internet, it can be possible to add a frame per website with synopsis and some printed screen shots with QR Codes to allow the visitors to get the first impression, then visit it on their mobile devices such as smartphone or tablets.
I feel strongly that this is discriminating against digital media.
I hope it will change in the future and digital exhibits will be treated more like traditional show displays.
Awards and Certificates of www.PaleoPhilatelie.eu website
The "Paleophilatelie" website was awarded a LARGE GOLD Medal (91 of 100 points) in the 18th New Zealand National Philatelic Literature Exhibition 2023 (NZNPLE-2023), organized by the New Zealand Philatelic Federation. The exhibition that took place between the 18th and 19th of November, 2023 in Christchurch, New Zealand.
More details coming soon.
Specialised philatelic literature exhibitions have been held in New Zealand every second year since 1989. They have drawn worldwide support and have served to introduce collectors, to literature that will develop their knowledge and interests.
The Philatelic Literature Exhibition was hosted by "2023 Chch One Frame Stamp & Postcard Exhibition" organized by Canpex and the Christchurch (NZ) Philatelic Society, Inc.
 |
The Christchurch Philatelic Society (CPS), is dedicated to promote philately and philatelic interests not just in Christchurch but also in North and Central Canterbury. CPS aims to bring enjoyment to the hobby as well as encouraging the study and advancement of all aspects of the hobby and its related fields. It has a large library to accommodate everyone from the novice wanting to find information to the serious studier. The Society has a wide range of sub-groups that explore the different aspects of Philately.
The One Frame Exhibition included the 2023 NZ National Philatelic Literature Exhibition and the National Inter-club One Frame Competition in conjunction with the Marlborough Stamp Collectors Club.Distinguished from most other Philatelic Shows where the "Paleophilatelie" website has participated in Electronic-Literature competitions, organizers of NZNPLE-2023 installed a monitor to allow visitors of the show to get an impression of the websites under competition.
Mr. Paul van Herpt, Chairman, 18th New Zealand National Philatelic Literature Exhibition said:
We has a couple of digital classes and so we had a large screen to display them. For each of the websites I took a number of screenshots and saved them as jpg's. We had a player that let us run them through so throughout the day images from all digital entries were being display. A number of times I was questioned what was on the screen so people did notice. I had borrowed the system from a neighbour who has a furniture shop and he uses it to display his custom made furniture which was ideal for showing off the digital entries.
Physical copies were laid out on the tables while digital entries scrolled away on the large screen. Judging was completed over the weekend of 11/12 November. Entries were of high standard, with 6 Large Gold Awards and 7 Gold Awards. All this printed material will be available for viewing and use to research in our CPS library.
The "Paleophilatelie" website was awarded a Large Vermeil Medal in the competition of philatelic websites at Great American Stamp Show (GASS) 2023 that took place between the 10th and 13th of August, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
 |
 |
GASS2023 was supported by the United States Postal Service who hosted a large retail area as well as two first day ceremonies. GASS2023 featured 100+ dealers selling stamps and covers, hundreds of frames of stamp exhibits and rarities, participation of 40+ national specialty societies, a youth area, and 100+ meetings and seminars.
Distinguished from the APS Stamps Show 2019 in Omaha, the participator name was not engraved on the reverse side, but stuck on the plastic case. The certificate was not provided.
Due to the fact only four exhibits participated in the Electronic Literature competition no Internet Cafe was installed. However, the organizers from APS were ready to find a compromise. A printout and some visit cards of "Paleophilatelie.eu" website were placed on the table with printed literature.
The feedback of the jury was provided together with how the score was split. It was useful and led to several changes on multiple pages of the website, including the home page. Moreover, the feedback contained the name and email address of the jury representative with the following note:
TO THE EXHIBITOR: Should any aspect of this form be unclear, or should you like more detailed comments from your jury representative, please contact that individual using the listed email address.
The jury representative kindly answered my questions and clarified some points.
This makes a big difference compared with the FIP stamp shows, such as IBRA2023, CapeTown2023, and London2022.
The "Paleophilatelie" website was awarded a Large Vermeil Medal in the competition of philatelic websites at IBRA 2023 that took place between the 25th and 28th of May, 2023 in Essen Germany.
 |
 |
IBRA 2023 was an International Stamp World Exhibition that was organized by the Philatelic Federation of Germany (Bund Deutscher Philatelisten - BDPh) under the patronage of the international philatelic federation FIP and recognised by the Federation of European Philatelic Associations.
Up to 3400 frames were available for qualified collections in all competition classes.
64 of 809 exhibits were awarded Large Gold medals and 196 Gold medals.
At the same time, the 33rd International Stamp Fair took place, to which about 150 postal administrations or their agencies, dealers, auction houses and equipment manufacturers attended. Numerous information stands of associations as well as of working and research communities provided a deeper insight into the many facets of philately.
German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, wrote a short greeting note for the show attendees:
Stamps are first and foremost official postage stamps, but they are also much more that. They are often little works of art, sent into the world as ambassadors of their country, telling stories of famous places and landscapes, about significant personalities of contemporary history, art, and culture or great achievements in science and technology.[The previous Philatelic World Exhibition in Germany took place in 1999 in Nürnberg.]
Thus, philately – collecting stamps – is always a trip to other worlds. It is a hobby that has a long tradition, and it educates and connects people. It brings together collectors with those who are interested, like it will do at the IBRA 2023 World Exhibition in Essen. I am very pleased that, after many years, this beautiful exhibition can take place in Germany again...
A separate Philatelic Literature area was hosted by the show. The area was 150 square meters in size. All printed materials under competition were available for the public to read and review.
The literature area was managed and supervised by the International Association of the Philatelic Journalists and Authors (AIJP).
According to the show organizers, the digital philatelic literature (websites) were supposed to be available to the public in the Internet Corner of the Philatelic Literature Area. A monitor was indeed available in the corner on one of the tables, but there was no internet connection. Perhaps the organizers found it too expensive? The monitor was also not connected to power either.
As with every philatelic show that the "Paleophilatelie" website has participated, the only place where visitors were able to find it was in the show catalog. The catalog was free of charge for the exhibitors, but costed €10 for the public.
This time I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition personally.
The supervisor from the AIJP kindly allowed me to place a printout and some visitor cards at the monitor.
Another thing to mention is that the show provided a feedback session on the last day of the show. Exhibitors had the opportunity to get jury feedback during 10 minute conversations with the jury. However, the literature exhibits (including both printed and digital) were excluded from this feedback session.
 |
 |
| Mr. Michael Kogan (Paleophilatelist) during the opening session of the IBRA 2023 International Stamp World Exhibition in Essen on May 25, 2023 and at Palmares dinner on May 27, 2023. |
In November 2022, the "Paleophilatelie" website was awarded a Large Vermeil medal in the competition of philatelic websites at the International Stamp Exhibition CAPE TOWN 2022, that took place between 8th and 12th of November 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa.
The International Philatelic Exhibition took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre 2 (CTICC2) . Entry was free to the public. This event featured 1600 competitive frames and 69 literature exhibits, including websites from 43 countries.
The biggest areas by category: Postal history (397 frames); Traditional (395 frames); Thematic (162 frames); Aerophilately (92 frames). There were 64 frames in the Championship class.
According to the organizers, computer with internet access and the list of the websites who took part of the competition were available in the Literature show-room.
The show was organized by Philatelic Federation of South Africa (PFSA), in conjunction with the Department of Communications and Digital Techmologies, under patronage of the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP).
A key aim of the International Stamp Exhibition was to generate interest for philately among a broader cross-section of South African society, and in that way to promote it as a hobby.
A highlight of the event was the award-winning exhibit by Gerhard Kamffer entitled "The Road to Democracy". Letters written by Nelson Mandela from Robben Island and other important artefacts of South Africa’s history were displayed.
In September 2022 "Paleophilatelie" website was awarded a GOLD medal in the competition of philatelic websites at the PWO-EXPO 2022 on-line show.
The Philatelic Webmasters Organization (PWO) was created by it President, Victor Manta, in 2001 to promote, support and develop philately through philatelic webmastering, and also to fight against the proliferation of illegal and excessive stamps.
Since that time, the membership has grown to more than 400, representing more than 415 sites.
PWO-EXPO 2022 was presented by Virtuafil, an informal organisation and online platform which offers an alternative to the traditional, formal philatelic organisations, designed to minimize restrictions and maximize open and zero-cost participation at exhibitions.
As an independent organisation, Virtuafil has instituted a new, distinct Philatelic Class: “Websites and Social Media”.
This new Class is not connected with the traditional Class of Philatelic Literature.
According to the organizers, the exhibition contained 72 exhibits from 50 participants, representing 22 countries worldwide.
The Jury awarded 12 Gold medals, 12 Silver medals and 21 Bronze medals.
In June 2022 "Paleophilatelie" website was awarded a Vermeil medal in the competition of philatelic websites at CAPEX'22 philatelic show, that took place between 09 and 12 of June 2022 in Toronto, Canada. (CAPEX is stand for Canadian Association of Philatelic Exhibitions).
Capex 2022 is the world's first International One Frame Stamp Championship Exhibition. It was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) in the heart of Toronto’s downtown entertainment district.
With more than 400 frames and over 100 exhibits of printed and electronic media CAPEX'22 was the largest show of one frame exhibition ever. The show was organized by the Philatelic Specialists Society of Canada under the patronage of the Federation Interamericana de Filatelia (FIAF) and with the recognition of Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP).
The exhibition also included an array of printed and digital philatelic literature, including philatelic websites.
According to the organizers, computers with internet connections were available at the Literature viewing area where attendees could view any publications entered as pdf or other digital media. All websites without paid or restricted access were also available for viewing.
This might be the first international expo where such digital literature facilities were offered!
In February 2022 "Paleophilatelie" website was awarded a Vermeil medal on competition of philatelic websites at London 2022 philatelic show, that took place between 19th and 26th of February, 2022 in London, Great Britain.
To my big disappointment, the score split and feedback from the jury were not provided.
Really pity, as the score itself doesn't allow to draw any conclusion how to improve the website for the next competition.
London 2022 show has been organized by Stamp World Exhibitions Ltd. on behalf of the Association of British Philatelic Societies. The exhibition was held under the patronaged of the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP), who recognized it as a Worldwide Exhibition and the recognition of the Federation of European Philatelic Associations (FEPA).
The show was planed for 2020 first, but postponed due to Covid.
The exhibition was huge - over 600 competitive exhibits occupied over 3,000 frames and almost 350 exhibits participated in the Literature competition (printed and electronic combined).
Similar to all other stamps show where "Paleophilatelie" was participated, no display were installed in the exhibition hall. The websites were invisible for the public. The only place were the websites were listed was the exhibition catalogue.
In September 2021 "Paleophilatelie" website was awarded a GOLD medal on competition of philatelic websites at FILANANIAS 2021 virtual philatelic show in Brazil that took place between 06th July 2021 to 31st August, 2021.
The show was organized with support of Brazilian Philateliec Association FILABRAS (Associação dos Filatelistas Brasileiros).The main objective of FILANNIAS 2021 was to promote Philately via the Internet, encourage and train new philatelists, being a fraternization between philatelists and the general public, with a didactic and cultural nature.
The exhibition contained 142 participants from 18 countries, with 239 exhibitions, among collections in 3 categories/classes: general collections, philatelic literature and websites.
According to organizers, over 45,000 people accessed the virtual show.
The jury feedback:
"This is simply one of the very best philatelic websites out there.
The statement on the site is "the most comprehensive catalog about Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Philately" and I believe this is quite correct.
The amount of information available seems almost limitless and the philatelic knowledge on show is of the highest level,
where each issue is studied in minute detail.
There seems to be no aspect of this theme that has been left unexplored.
I was particularity impressed with the section that talks about undesirable stamp issue from various African countries.
This is an area rarely mentioned in philately.
Criticisms:
Difficult to find anything to criticize here.
It's a labour of many years devotion.
The site might look a little more modern if the standard Times New Roman was replaced with something a little more "modern".
Otherwise...this is a major philatelic resource for this theme of Paleontology and Paleoanthropology."
Niall Murphy.
In February 2020 "Paleophilatelie"
website participated in philatelic websites competition at philatelic
literature class at German National stamps show NAPOSTA
2020 that took place between February 13th and 16th at Ohrelandhalle in Haldensleben.The national postage stamp exhibitions have a long tradition in the Federal German Republic. It usually take place every five years. However, the last NAPOSTA took place in 2009 in Essen.
The Federation of German Philatelists was hereby entrusted the Association of Stamp Friends of Haldensleben and the surrounding area, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020.
Over 800 frames occupied by traditional philatelic exhibits, for whom it was the last chance to be qualified for IBRA 2021 World Stamp Exhibition that should take place next year in Essen.
Philatelic Literature divided for Printed Material with over 40 participants and Electronic Literature with 10 various Websites that took part on the competition
"www.Paleophilatelie.eu" website awarded by Large Vermeil Medal.
Unfortunately, no feedback provided by the jury that make it difficult to draw a conclusion how to improve this website to get a better score in the future.
Similar to all other Philatelic Competition where "Paleophilatelie" website have been attended, the only way for visitors to know this category exists, is to read the names in the list of participants as no monitors or Internet corner have been installed in the room.
In November 2019 "Paleophilatelie" website participated in philatelic websites competition at philatelic
literature class at
CHICAGOPEX
2019 stamps show, that took place between November 22nd 24th, 2019
at Westin Chicago Northwest Hotel in Illinois, USA.
The show organized by the oldest and very famous philatelic club of USA - Chicago Philatelic Society. CHICAGOPEX is one of the oldest philatelic shows in the world and opened its doors for 133rd time this year.
It counts to the one of the most prestigious philatelic events in USA, when jury applies the very high standards and have very high expectations from every participant.
Distinguished from many other philatelic shows participation was open for everybody no membership in any club or society or points from any previous shows were required from participants.
Unfortunately, similar to all previous shows where this website has participated, digital exhibits were invisible for a wide public.
It was mention in the brochure with participants list only. No monitors or Internet cafe installed there to allow visitors to go on-line and inspect websites that took place in the competition.
"www.Paleophilatelie.eu" website awarded by Large Vermeil Medal in the Literature category, where printed and digital media compete one with other, perhaps because only 4 websites participated in the competition.
This is the 3rd Large Vermeil medal of this website and the second from USA based philatelic shows.In September 2019 "Paleophilatelie" website participated in philatelic websites competition at philatelic literature class at BELPHILA 2019, Belarus, the 10th National Philatelic Exhibition, that took place between 4th and 8th September, 2019 and celebrated the millennium anniversary of Brest.
The BelPhila 2019 exhibition has been organized by the Belarusian Communications and Information Ministry, the Belpochta postal service, the Brest City Hall, and the Belarusian Union of Philatelists with participation of the Culture Ministry, the Information Ministry, and the National Art Museum.
The main aim of the 10th National Philatelic Exhibition is to attract attention to philately in Belarus.
"www.Paleophilatelie.eu" website awarded by Gold Medal.
This is the first Gold medal and the highest score won by this website!
The only missing thing is the feedback from jury. Distinguished from other philatelic exhibits the Gold medal is the best prize of the show. (Large Gold medal is not available.)
In August 2019 "Paleophilateie" website participated in philatelic websites competition at philatelic literature class at " National Topical Stamp Show" organized by American Philatelic Society in cooperation with American Topical Association, that took place in Omaha, Nebraska, USA between 1st and 4th August, 2019.
This is a very large and very popular annual event among North American philatelist with over 800 exhibition frames.
"www.Paleophilatelie.eu" website awarded by Large Vermeil Medal in "Electronic" Literature sub-category.
Due the fact that synopsis of the website not forwarded by the show organizers to the jury, some of juries comments was irrelevant. Other comments, especially about "Treatment" section was useful and lead to redesign of home page and several other main pages of the website.
It was a pleasure and good experience to participate the show and I was happy to get some comments of the jury, but was disappointed by the fact that most of the visitors weren't aware about website competition as no screens nor monitors installed there to provide visitors a possibility to visit it. The only place where visitors was able to get information about participated website is a brochure with list of all participators and addresses of websites.
"The Participation of PWO Members in the APS Stamp Show 2019" article contains my interview and comments of other participator of the show.
In November 2018 "Paleophilateie" website
participated in "ITALIA 2018"
Exhibition of Philatelic Literature, that took place in Verona, Italy,
between 23rd and 25th November 2018 (initially planed to be in Milan in March 2018) .The Philatelic Literature Exhibition Italia 2018 is a specialized national exhibition with international participation, organized by the Federazione fra le Società Filateliche Italiane (Fsfi) under the patronage of the Federation of the European Philatelic Associations (Fepa). Italia 2018 has been granted the patronage of the European Academy of Philately (Aep), the Association Internationale des Journalistes Philatéliques (Aijp) and the Unione stampa filatelica italiana (Usfi), and the scientific advice of the Istituto di Studi Storici Postali “Aldo Cecchi” in Prato.
Over 30 philatelic websites participated in the competition. All awards, except Grand Prix presented in the form of digital diplomas (.pdf files).
"www.Paleophilatelie.eu" website awarded by Large Vermeil Medal.
Unfortunately, jury provided the score split only, without any feedback or comments. Really pity as the score itself doesn't allow to draw any conclusion how to improve a website for next competition. I also have a doubt if anybody except the jury was aware about the websites competition and visited it during or right after the show. According to a fellow collector who visited the show, no screen or monitors installed there to allow visitors to see participated websites.The next competitions where Paleophilatelie.eu will participate
- PWO-EXPO 2024 (online)
- GASS 2024
- New Zealand National Philatelic Literature Exhibition 2025